Thursday, March 31, 2011

Remember all the fuss a while back about the latest "Bownessie" photograph, suggesting that Scotland's most famous monster may have its English equivalent? Well, someone who has been at the forefront of following not just this latest development, but the earlier cases too, is Hayley Stevens, who provides us with an excellent report on all the various theories, data and opinions on what might afoot...

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Stan Gordon, author of the book Silent Invasion (an excellent, regional study of Bigfoot high-strangeness), sent me the following report yesterday, which details a very intriguing new winged-humanoid report.

Rather curiously - maybe even a classic case of synchronicity? - only mere minutes after I received Stan's email, the door-bell rang and it was the postman with a parcel for me. From Andy Colvin, it contained a copy of his latest book, The Mothman Speaks and a copy of the just-published, new edition of Gray Barker's Men in Black: The Secret Terror, which also focuses in part on Mothman.

Anyway, I digress! Here's Stan's report, which I hope we may get further data on as the investigation progresses:

On March 21, 2011, I was contacted by a witness who reported having an encounter with a very strange creature during the early morning hours of March 18, 2011. The incident occurred on a rural road in Butler County between Chicora and East Brady. The witness, a businessman passing through the area, stated that “this was the freakiest thing I ever saw, and it made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.”

The man told me that he was driving down the road when from about a ¼ mile away, he observed something on the right side in a grassy area. His first thought was that it was a deer. The driver stepped on the gas to move closer to get a better view. From about 50 yards away, he observed something that appeared to be hunched down, and then stood up. The driver then observed a very tall muscular creature.

At this point, the driver had his high beams on and watched as the creature walked in front of a yellow reflective road sign, then crossed the two lane road in three long steps and continued into a wooded area. What he saw was a humanoid figure that stood at least 8 feet tall that appeared to have smooth leather-like skin that was of either a darker tan or light brown color.

The creature never looked at the witness, and was only observed from its side. The head appeared to be flat in the front section, and then rounded out. “At the top back of skull, it was like one of those aerodynamic helmets. The top was not quite a point, but looked like a ridge on top of the head.” The face was flat, and the eyes were not clearly defined, but the man thought that they might have been pointed in the corner. The ear that was observed on the left side was long and flat, and came up and back and was pointed backwards like a flap.

The arms were muscular and a little longer than that of a human. The hands looked more like a claw, but the number of fingers was unclear. One physical trait that stood out were the extremely muscular legs. The witness stated that it was hard to explain, but the legs did not move like that of a human, and “looked like they bent backwards.” The witness also saw what appeared to be wings on its back which were tucked into its body, with the wing tips extending toward the side of its head.

No unusual sounds or smells where noticed during the observation which was estimated to have been about 7-8 seconds. As the motorist approached the location where the creature entered the woods, it could no longer be seen. The next day the witness decided to drive back to the location of the encounter to look for any evidence. The ground conditions were not suitable for tracks, and nothing was found. The witness did, however, measure the road sign that the creature had walked in front of. The sign was just over 8 feet high, and the head of the creature was estimated to have reached about 4 inches above the sign.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Over at her Mysterious Haven blog, the CFZ's Michigan rep and good friend, Raven Meindel, delves deep into the legends of dastardly, glowing-eyed, paranormal hounds. As Raven says:

"From the haunting Moors of England to the distant forests of the Scottish Highlands and the mysterious Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, the legends have been passed down for generations. Stories of malignant, ghastly looking black hounds with glowing red eyes that roam the wastelands and plod through ancient forests in the night, baying and howling and bringing with them a supernatural feeling of ill will and bad omens. Locals are often frightened to the point of staying in doors for days on end and crossing themselves with holy water at the slightest mention of the foul beasts. In the late 1600's hundreds and early 1700's, they were often associated with witches, either accompanying them to black masses or being one in the same as shape-shifting counterparts."

Monday, March 28, 2011

The good folk at the CFZ have just published an anthology of my writings, covering the period 1982 (when my writing career began) to last year, 2010. Titled Space Girl Dead on Spaghetti Junction, the book covers such issues as Cryptozoology, Ufology, music, history, conspiracies, the Chupacabra, the world of Hollywood, crop circles, dragons, werewolves, Roswell, the Contactee movement, and much much more.

"New from CFZ Press, the second book in our acclaimed series of fortean anthologies. In this volume, Nick Redfern remembers his mis-spent youth, and presents anecdotes from a long career of causing fortean mischief. He also presents pieces of his writing from various times over the past three decades, with notes placing them into historical context. Of course, Nick being Nick, there are also quite a few smatterings of his inane humour."

And here's a full list of contents:

Introduction Zero-Hour: 1982/1983 Saucer Files Exposed: 1986 Fatherly Words: 1987 The Beckenham Ball of Light: 1990 MJ12: The FBI Connection: 1993 Unexplained Ground Marking and UFO Incident: 1995 UFOs over Staffordshire: 1996 The Rising of the Moon: 1997 A Close Encounter of the Literary Kind: 1997 The Secret Life of Errol Flynn: 1998 Unconventional Aircraft: 1998 Banned - The BBC and the Bomb: 1999 Another Gig, Another Planet: 1999/2000 Foot & Mouth - Conspiracy or Accident? 2001 The C-Files, 2000/2001 Satellites from the Skies: 2001 Mystery on the Mountain: 2001 Something for the Weekend: 2001 Mothman Lives: 2002 A Conference, a Camera, a Conspiracy: 2003 In Search of the Chupacabras - New Revelations: 2005 Enter the Dragon Hunter: 2005 At the Edge: 2006 Opening the Government’s X-Archive: 2006 The Strange Saga of the Hexham Heads: 2006 Happy Anniversary, Roswell UFO: 2007 Weirdness in the Woods: 2007 Did Aliens Invade Britain 50 Years Ago?: 2007 MJ12, UFOs and the FBI: 2007 Island of Paradise: 2008 An Alien Who’s Who: 2008 The Missing Chapter: 2008 Manipulating the Crashed UFO Scene: 2009 Conferences and Cultural Clashes: 2010 Contactees and the Absurdities of Ufology: 2010 Why Roswell Will Never Be Solved: 2010 The Strange Tale of the Cardiff Giant: 2010

Sunday, March 27, 2011

There's seems to be quite a bit of renewed interest in the Chupacabra this week: Ben Radford (hot on the heels of the publication of his new book, Tracking the Chupacabra) has this $250.00 challenge for anyone who can find a pre-1990s published reference concerning the Chupacabra.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Great news: good mate Ken Gerhard (my co-author on Monsters of Texas) has just started a new gig: blogging for the San Antonio Current. Here's the first of many! The subject: the glowing-eyed Mothman of Point Pleasant, West Virginia...

Friday, March 25, 2011

Dr. Karl Shuker has three excellent new posts over at his Shuker Nature blog that may interest you. The first deals with a diabolical Russian "man-bat"-type beast and associated weird winged-things; the second is on "Tarzan and the Nandi Bear;" while the third focuses on "Dog-Faced Ogres" and more. Check them out; as is always the case with Karl's articles, you'll learn much - and in an informative and entertaining fashion, too.

No, that's not a reference to some cheap, new horror-film, in which the hairy one slaughters a bunch of teenagers in the woods! Rather, it's to alert you to a new book coming from CFZ Press, which demonstrates Bigfoot's hostile side...

Monday, March 21, 2011

Raven Meindel - my co-host on our weekly show, Exploring All Realms - has put together a new blog about E.A.R. where you can find all the latest news, info, reviews of recent episodes, data on upcoming guests, and much more. Last week's guest was Andy Colvin, who discussed his multifaceted work on the Mothman saga, and of course, his book series: The Mothman's Photographer, Volumes I to III. Here's the link to the new Exploring All Realms blog.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Over at his A Different Perspective blog, Kevin Randle provides us with an excellent post on one of the most intriguing, and controversial, cases within the realm of UFO research: the ultra-weird "Kelly-Hopkinsville" affair of 1955, in which a Kentucky, USA family was allegedly terrorized by alien entities from a UFO.

It might be reasonably argued that UFOs have no place at this particular blog. Maybe. But, the reason I mention the affair is because, on the specific matter of the event in question, a certain Major John E. Albert wrote the following, by way of an explanation:

"It is my opinion that the report Mrs. Lankford or her son, Elmer Sutton [name deleted but it is reasonable to assume it was Elmer Sutton], was caused by one of two reasons. Either they actually did see what they thought was a little man and at the time, there was a circus in the area and a monkey might have escaped, giving the appearance of a small man. Two, being emotionally upset, and discussing the article and showing pictures of this little monkey, that appeared like a man, their imaginations ran away with them and they really did believe what they saw, which they thought was a little man."

I am, of course, reminded here of the deep similarities between the major's explanation and those highly similar ones that have surfaced to try and explain away Britain's big-cats as circus escapees.

Similarly, when, in 1879, England's notorious Man-Monkey first manifested out of the dense trees surrounding Bridge 39 on the Shropshire Union Canal, rumours were rife that a gorilla was the cause of all the fuss - supposedly (but never, ever proved, of course) having escaped from a traveling menagerie.

I find it intriguing that when attempts are made to explain such curiosities as the big-cats, the Man-Monkey, and the Kelly-Hopkinsville creatures in wholly conventional terms and scenarios, one of the staple-ingredients that often surfaces is that of the circus-escapee.

And, given that the Man-Monkey saga began 132-years ago, the Kelly-Hopkinsville event took place 56-years ago, and the big-cats of Britain are still running around, it demonstrates that in terms of trying to expand their down-to-earth explanations across the decades, the skeptics have actually not get very far at all!

Next time you hear of a sighting of a weird beast, an out-of-place exotic animal, or something even stranger, keep a careful watch for commentary from the "experts" relative to that apparently-thriving and much-used old chestnut: the "zoo-escapee."

This is excellent news: within a week or so, the Center for Fortean Zoology will be republishing Tony "Doc" Shiels' Monstrum! book. If you haven't read it, then you really should, and you'll be in for a big treat!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Tonight, on the Exploring All Realms show that I co-host with Raven Meindel, the guest will be Andy Colvin, author of The Mothman's Photographer series of books. Expect a great deal of conversation on all-things winged and glowing-eyed! Here's the link to the show. The accompanying picture of Andy was taken in December of last year, when we were checking out George Van Tassel's legendary Integratron, in the California desert.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Dale Drinnon comes up with a highly-plausible theory for a weird beast seen in Ireland in the early-1960s. It was a case upon which, for obscure reasons, me, Jon Downes and Richard Freeman speculated endlessly in the late-1990s. But Dale may have now laid the matter to rest, once and for all!

Friday, March 11, 2011

Loren Coleman give the thumbs-up to the National Geographic Channel's new TV series Beast Hunter, which is indeed a fine addition to the on-screen world of cryptozoology. It's definitely a good, solid, breath of fresh-air. If you haven't seen the initial episodes, keep a look out for re-runs...

I'll be reviewing the book at my Reviews of the Mysterious Kind site next week, but in the meantime, I'm mentioning Haunted Skies here, too, because it contains a very interesting, 3-page section titled "Batlike Humanoid Creature Seen In Kent."

This is the famous (or, perhaps, infamous!) case of 1963 that, in retrospect, comes across like a proto-Mothman-style event. If you haven't heard of it, then I recommend you check out Volume II of this on-going, ambitious project for all the info on this winged fiend of the night!

Monday, March 7, 2011

Remember how, just recently, a flurry of publicity was given to a photo coming out of England, that got the lake-monster-hunting community all excited? Here's my post on the story, in which - in the Comments section - I suggested it might well be just a bunch of old car-tires strung together. Well, as this new post from Dale Drinnon demonstrates, that may very well be just what it was!

Sumatra, and the Orang-Pendek in particular, hold a special affection for me. Since I first visited this beautiful country, with its dense virgin rainforest and proud tribal people, I have always been fascinated by the orang-pendek, the `short man` of the forests.

I have no doubt the orang-pendek exists. Over the years I have interviewed many witnesses who have seen this creature. In 2009 the CFZ expedition was fortunate to have an eyewitness ourselves in Dave Archer, and Sahar Didmus saw one pinned against a tree, before it scurried away from us into the jungle. The experience so moved Sahar that he burst into tears!

Importantly, there has been a considerable body of scientific evidence that has been gathered to support the existence of the orang-pendek. For example, previous expeditions I have led in 2001 and 2004 brought back both prints and hair samples. These were analysed by various international experts, including Drs Chivers, Meldrum and Brunner, who all came to the conclusion that they were from an `unknown primate`.

Most readers of this piece will recall the success we had in 2009, when the hair samples we brought back were analysed by Lars Thomas, who again came to the conclusion that they were from an `unknown primate`.

Thus, because of the body of evidence gathered, the discussion has moved away from whether the orang-pendek exists, to what it actually is. This is what the Sumatra expedition this year seeks to achieve: a further refining of that process, hopefully with greater determinative evidence so that we can pin down the creature once and for all!!

The team, as it stands, will comprise the following members: Dr Chris Clark, Richard Freeman, Dave Archer, Jon McGowan, Lisa Dowley, Andrew Sanderson, and Rebecca and Mike from CFZ Australia.

I will again be leading the overall expedition team. However, with a bigger group we will have the luxury of covering a wider area so the plan is, at present, to cover two locations. I will take one team to the Lake at Gunung Tujuh, whilst the other team, which will concentrate on the edges of the farmlands and villages, will be led by Dr Chris Clark. Chris's team in particular will focus on the areas where there has been a concentration of orang-pendek activity in recent years. That way we get to maximise our chances, of both gathering evidence, and actually seeing it!

We are aware it is always a long shot with these expeditions. More often than not, nothing is found, but our previous success must offer some encouragement.

Please wish us luck in our endeavours. This will be the sixth time that I have been to Sumatra, looking for evidence of the orang-pendek. In that time, I have been struck by the continuing pace of logging and the general deforestation, despite the efforts of the guides and rangers who accompany us. Leaving it alone just isn't an option - be in no doubt that time is running out for the orang-pendek and the area it inhabits.

Our work may; just may encourage the habitat to be preserved. That has to be our ultimate objective.

We hope to do some good as we continue our work. So, its once more off into the jungle with stout hearts and loose bowels!

Friday, March 4, 2011

The strange saga of Dr. John Kerr-Butter - and his potential links to the many and varied weird beasts that have been seen in and around England's Cannock Chase woods - is a truly fascinating one. Indeed, it's a story I highlighted, back in 2009, in one of my Lair of the Beasts columns for Mania.com. And, I'm pleased to say, the fascinating tale of the doctor and his amazing menagerie is now catching the attention of the Cannock media too.

I received this info this morning re a new conference, scheduled for later this year, covering both Bigfoot and UFOs. Here's all the info, in case you're interested in attending:

John Ventre, Director of the Pennsylvania MUFON Chapter and Eric Altman, Director of the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society are proud to announce the 2011 Pennsylvania UFO and BIGFOOT CONFERENCE. The two day event will take place the weekend of October 22 and 23rd, 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKk7UYTUPow

The event will be held at Westmoreland County Community College, Youngwood, Pennsylvania. This is a two day event which will feature UFO speakers, displays, and vendors on Saturday October 22 and Bigfoot speakers, displays and vendors on Sunday October 23, 2011.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Ghosts, Spirits, & Hauntings: Am I Being Haunted? is a forthcoming book from New Page Books, for which I contributed a chapter. So, why am I mentioning a book on spooks and specters at my crypto-blog? Well, simple: my contribution is on the issue of strange beasts that appear more spectral than flesh-and-blood...

As The Real Men in Black demonstrates, Mothman, the Loch Ness Monster, the Chupacabra, and perhaps even the legendary "Thunderbird Photograph" have attracted the attention of the MIB.

And, in a real scoop, I detail in my book the very creepy MIB encounter of legendary cryptozoologist, Loren Coleman himself...

THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE WOODS: A Transatlantic Hunt for Monsters and the Mysterious

Contains the latest news on Bigfoot, Werewolves, The Thunderbird, Devil-Dogs, Big-Cats, and much more. For all the details, including purchase-information, click on the book-cover image above, or check out: http://www.anomalistbooks.com/redfern2.html

MONSTERS OF TEXAS

NOW AVAILABLE (Click on the book-cover for more information)

MAN-MONKEY: In Search Of The British Bigfoot

"This book is an important contribution to the annals of furry, upright creature lore and belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in unidentified animals," Linda Godfrey, author of "The Beast of Bray Road" and "Hunting the American Werewolf."

MEMOIRS OF A MONSTER HUNTER: A Five-Year Journey In Search Of The Unknown

"This is one of the best books I've read in years," Joshua P. Warren, author of "Pet Ghosts" and "How to Hunt Ghosts."

CONFESSIONS OF A MONSTER HUNTER

I am the author of many books, including "A Covert Agenda;" "The FBI Files;" "Cosmic Crashes;" "Strange Secrets (with Andy Roberts);" "Three Men Seeking Monsters;" "Body Snatchers in the Desert;" "On the Trail of the Saucer Spies;" "Celebrity Secrets;" "Man-Monkey;" "Memoirs of a Monster Hunter;" "There's Something in the Woods;" "Science Fiction Secrets;" "Contactees;" "Monsters of Texas" (with Ken Gerhard); "Final Events;" "The NASA Conspiracies;" "Space Girl Dead on Spaghetti Junction;" "The Real Men in Black" and "Keep Out!"
Proudest achievement: knowing all the lyrics to every one of the songs recorded by The Macc Lads.
Contact me at Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=553360287